Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is no friend of organized labor. On Tuesday, the former Massachusetts governor took a swipe at unions while campaigning in Lansing, Michigan. He said,” Liberalism once taught that unions would ensure lasting prosperity for workers. Instead, they too often contributed to disappearing companies, disappearing industries and disappearing jobs…” That’s not true. In 2011, 16.3 million wage and salary workers were re... [More]

The political shenanigans of the Koch Brothers continue to be scrutinized as Democrats and Republicans battle their way to the general election. The billionaire brothers are the subject of a documentary that shows how money and power can influence and corrupt democracy. Charles and David Koch run the Kansas-based Koch Industries with subsidiaries based in manufacturing, trade and investments. Revenues for Koch Industries reach nearly $100 billion a year. It is the second-largest private compa... [More]

IAFF Representative Sean DeCrane and other IAFF members spent the third day attending hearings at the International Building Code in Dallas where a number of items impacting fire fighters’ work environment are being discussed.  Some of the issues impacting our members operating on the street included proposals impacting the permitted height and area of buildings. These height and areas are based on the type of construction, the occupancy type and what type of fire protection. There ha... [More]

IAFF Representative Sean DeCrane and other IAFF members spent the second day of hearings where a number of items impacting the fire fighters work environment occurred.  The Fire Safety Committee for the Building Code heard the debate on twenty-five code change proposals based on the fire performance of foam insulation products. This demonstrates how prevalent this material has become within the built environment, this achieves a low flame spread rating because it is tested in a horizontal ... [More]

A must read by every IAFF member and fire fighter. On August 18, 2007 two FDNY fire fighters and IAFF members from Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 were killed at a seven-alarm fire at the Deutsche Bank building, adjacent to Ground Zero in New York City.  Brothers Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffangnino were killed and 115 members were injured.Marty Steadman, a former reporter for the New York Herald Tribune, former press secretary for New York Governor Mario Cuomo and the public r... [More]

  Hearings for the 2015 International Building Code began this week in Dallas, Texas. One of the first issues was a proposal allowing industry to use sprinklers as a part of the fire resistance rating in establishing the fire rating performance.  While this is currently allowed as an Alternative Method, keeping the requirement under Alternative Methods as opposed to eliminating the language prohibiting the practice places the burden on the individual making the proposed alternative pr... [More]

Have you read a really good news story that illustrates the hard work and sacrifice of fire fighters? Enter that story in the annual IAFF Media Awards Contest. There are 19 categories to enter, ranging from print, broadcast, Internet and IAFF affiliate categories that honor the professional and dangerous work of fire fighters and emergency medical personnel in the United States and Canada. The deadline is Tuesday, May 1. Entries must have been published, produced or broadcast between January ... [More]

The political choices in the 2012 presidential election are clear. Compare the two candidates and the statements they’ve made this week about the election. President Obama tells Rolling Stone Magazine, “I think the general election will be as sharp a contrast between the two parties as we've seen in a generation. We have a Republican Party, and a presumptive Republican nominee who believes in drastically rolling back environmental regulations, radically rolling back collective-barga... [More]

The bad news keeps coming for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Late Friday, Proctor & Gamble announced it would not rejoin the shadowy group. Proctor and Gamble released this statement: ‘Decisions about which memberships we retain are guided by budgetary considerations, value to the business and engagement on issues core to our ability to compete in the marketplace.’ The multinational corporation made the determination that ALEC does not help P&G compete fo... [More]

YUM! Brands is the latest Fortune 500 corporation to announce it is cutting ties with the radical, right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). YUM! Brands is the owner of (KFC), Taco Bell and Pizza Hut fast food restaurants. YUM! Brands reportedly co-chaired ALEC’s Labor and Business Regulation subcommittee, which fought to repeal laws guaranteeing paid sick leave to workers. Here’s a list of influential ALEC supporters who have left the organization over the past two... [More]